Burned Dog Gets Second Chance

The shelter there took him in, but worried he'd be hard to place in a new home.

"When we picked him, hair and skin just started falling off of him. When we saw the puppy, we immediately took him straight to the vet. We could tell that he was in a lot of pain, and had some serious problems going on," Laura Schroer, an animal control officer, said.

They named the puppy Pitiful Pete. Garrett Animal Shelter employees found Pete in a Fulton home a few weeks ago. The Midwest Veterinary Clinic tended to Pete for a low fee.

"Dr. Robertson seemed to think that he'd be able to live a normal life after he healed up, that it was worth giving him a shot, so we just took care of everything after that," Mary Baumhoer, the clinic receptionist, said.

With no medical bills and on the road to recovery, Pete needed a home, but his appearance slowed the adoption process.

"I decided to foster him until we could find a home for him, because the shelter felt that in the condition that he was in, probably he would be unadoptable," Baumhoer said.

But the big brown eyes and a playful personality yanked at Debra Jones' heart.

"She shared the story and I said, 'You know what, I just have to take Petey because I know what it's like to be abandoned and my husband had been chemically burned before,' and I said, 'Petey deserves a chance,'" Jones said.

Pete will still need medical care and needs to stay out of the sun, but his new owner is ready to trade some extra chores for the good feeling of taking this formerly pitiful pup home.

Pete's new owner changed his name from Pitiful Pete to Precious Pete. His wounds should heal in about another month, and the search continues for the cause of the severe burns.